- Iran launches unprecedented air strikes on Israeli territory
- Over 300 drones and missiles intercepted; minimal damage reported
- Israel warns of significant response; UN Security Council to convene
An unprecedented occurrence has transpired: Iran has initiated airstrikes against Israeli territory.
Air raid alerts were issued in Israel during the middle of Saturday night; residents were advised to seek shelter in the vicinity of explosions detected as air defences were activated.
Several locations throughout the country were illuminated at night by interceptions, and numerous drones and missiles were shot down by Israel’s allies before their arrival on Israeli soil.
The military escalation involved the participation of at least nine nations, as projectiles launched from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen were intercepted by Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, and France, in addition to Jordan.
The current understanding of the attack is as follows.
Drones, cruise missiles, and ballistic missiles were utilised in the assault.
Israel was targeted by over 300 Iranian drones and missiles, according to a statement by the Israeli military on Sunday.
According to a televised statement by military spokesman Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, the assault comprised 110 ballistic missiles, of which a minor fraction reached Israel, 170 drones, and 30 cruise missiles, none of which penetrated Israeli territory.
Jordan, Iraq, and Syria comprise the narrowest distance of approximately 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) between Israel and Iran.
Bombardment was discharged from multiple nations.
The Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) of Iran announced the launch of drones and missiles on Saturday night.
Reuters was informed by Iraqi security sources that projectiles were observed flying in the direction of Israel over Iraq.
The ballistic missiles were launched nearly an hour after the slower-moving drones, according to the IRGC, so that they would strike Israel around the same time.
US forces intercepted dozens of missiles and drones launched from Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, according to the US Department of Defence.
Hezbollah, an organisation in Lebanon backed by Iran, also claimed to have launched two missile barrages at an Israeli military base in the occupied Golan Heights, a plateau that Israel annexed from Syria in a manner not acknowledged by the majority of the international community.
Israel and its allies intercept the vast majority of missiles and drones.
Rear Admiral Hagari stated that approximately 99 per cent of the incoming bombardment was intercepted either over or outside of Israel.
They incorporated the majority of ballistic missiles, which are propelled along an arcing trajectory that capitalises on gravity to attain exceedingly high velocities, in addition to every drone and cruise missile, which adhere to a level trajectory.
US forces “assisted Israel in shooting down nearly all” of the drones and missiles that Iran launched on Sunday, according to US President Joe Biden. He stated in a statement that the United States had deployed warships and aircraft to the region before the unprecedented attack.
According to security sources who spoke to Reuters, US forces fired down several Iranian drones over southern Syria near the Jordanian border while operating from unidentified bases in the area.
As confirmed by British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, several Iranian attack drones were shot down by British RAF Typhoon aircraft. The Iranian assault, according to Mr Sunak, was a “dangerous and unnecessary escalation that I have vehemently condemned.”
To ensure the safety of its citizens, Jordan, which has a peace treaty with Israel but has been extremely critical of its military campaign against the Palestinian organisation Hamas in Gaza, also intercepted airborne objects that entered its airspace, according to a statement from the Jordanian cabinet.
The Israeli military stated that it was unknown whether France had fired down any drones or missiles during their assistance with airspace patrol.
What was the quantity of successfully launched missiles and what extent of damage did they inflict?
Correspondents for the BBC in Jerusalem reported seeing Israel’s Iron Dome missile defence system in action and hearing sirens. This system employs radar to monitor rockets and can distinguish between those that are likely to strike populated areas and those that are not.
In the case of interceptor missiles, only projectiles destined for populated areas are targeted.
Few ballistic missiles managed to penetrate and strike Israeli territory, according to Rear Adm Hagari.
The Nevatim Air Force base in the Negev desert of southern Israel was “lightly struck” by one of them. According to Rear Adm Hagari, the facility is “still operational.”
According to the official Iranian news agency IRNA, the air base suffered “heavy blows” in the attack.
Shrapnel left a 10-year-old girl with grievous injuries, according to Rear Adm Hagari. Reportedly injured, the girl was a member of a Bedouin Arab community located in the vicinity of Arad in the south. An Iranian drone was intercepted in the sky above the community. She required critical care.
Additionally, Jordan reported that shrapnel had fallen onto its territory “without injuring or causing significant damage to citizens.”
What will occur next?
An unidentified Israeli official was quoted by Channel 12 TV as stating that a “significant response” would be taken in response to the attack.
Although Israeli and neighbouring airspace have been reopened, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant stated that the conflict with Iran was “not yet over.”
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In the meantime, Iran has warned Israel that its response “will be much larger than tonight’s military action if Israel retaliates against Iran,” according to a statement on state television by Armed Forces Chief of staff Major General Mohammad Bagheri.
He stated that American bases would be targeted if the United States participated in Israeli retaliation.
Hossein Salami, commander of the IRGC, added that Tehran would respond with retaliation to any Israeli assault on its interests, officials, or citizens.
At the request of Israel, the United Nations Security Council is scheduled to convene at approximately 20:00 GMT to address the most recent crisis.
Mr. Biden added that he would convene G7 leaders to coordinate a “unified diplomatic response” to Iran’s “brazen” attack on Sunday.
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